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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

No big (figuratively) loss

It took slightly more than four years and numerous knee
operations before the Browns Tuesday finally got rid of the bitter taste of a
terrible trade in 2011.

Defensive tackle Phil Taylor, the last vestige of that
trade, was cut. The 6-3, 335-pounder never panned out because he couldn’t stay
healthy. His knees had trouble supporting his massive girth.

So the Browns finally decided to head in a different
direction, first by selecting Danny Shelton with their first pick in this year’s
college draft and second by recognizing there were other players at that
position on the roster who played well enough to stick around.

On draft day in 2011, the Browns held the No 6 pick in the
first round. Sitting there was a need in wide receiver Julio Jones. But the
so-called brain trust of the team – President Mike Holmgren and General Manager
Tom Heckert Jr. – suffered a massive and collective brain fart.

Instead of writing Jones’ name on a piece of paper and
simply sending it in, they made the mistake of listening to the Atlanta
Falcons, who owned the 27th pick. Yep, No. 27.

The Falcons wanted Jones for Matt Ryan, their young
quarterback, and were willing to surrender that pick, plus their second- and
fourth-rounders in 2011 and a first- and fourth-rounder in 2012.

The H&H guys couldn’t pull the trigger quickly enough
and Jones became a Falcon. In the four years since that deal (he missed all but
five games due to injury in 2013), Jones has caught 278 passes for 4,330 yards
and 26 touchdowns. Last season, he caught 104 passes for 1,593 yards and six
scores.

And whom did the Browns get in that wonderful deal? Well,
they traded back up in the first round with Kansas City in 2011, giving the
Chiefs one of their second-round picks, and grabbed Taylor at No. 21.

In the second round, they selected wide receiver Greg Little
and took fullback Owen Marecic in the fourth round. In 2012, they grabbed
quarterback Brandon Weeden with the Falcons’ pick and selected inside
linebacker James-Michael Johnson in the fourth round.

To recap, the Browns gave up the opportunity to draft elite
wide receiver Julio Jones for Phil Taylor, Greg Little, Owen Marecic, Brandon
Weeden and James-Michael Johnson. Is it any wonder Holmgren and Heckert are
long gone from Cleveland?

Little was last seen in Cincinnati, barely hanging on; Marecic
is out of football; Johnson is a reserve inside linebacker in Kansas City; and
Weeden busted out with the Browns and now backs up Tony Romo in Dallas.

Taylor never played well enough, when he was healthy that
is, to excite the coaching staff. He was a space eater who had little mobility.
The Browns even tried him at defensive end just to get him on the field. He had
no pass rushing ability.

So now Taylor is gone. Finally. And some other team out
there will sign him and then find out the Browns made the correct move.

It took four years, four very long years, to move the big
guy, who missed 20 games in two of the last three seasons. His career totals:
Seven sacks, one forced fumble, one recovered fumble and 109 tackles.

As it turns out, Taylor is just another in a long line of
first-round Cleveland busts. Another small example as to why this franchise has
floundered since its resurrection in 1999.